Notre Dame, Oregon State part of Sun Bowl's fascinating gridiron history
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As Notre Dame and Oregon State ready to play in this year’s Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl on Dec. 29, here is a look back at some Sun Bowl history.
The first Sun Bowl game was played on Jan. 1, 1935. It was a fundraiser by the El Paso Kiwanis Club to benefit underprivileged children and to pay for improvements to El Paso High School’s stadium. The game featured a team of El Paso High School all-stars against the Ranger (Texas) High School Bulldogs. The El Paso team won 25-21.
C.M. Hendricks first proposed the name “Sun Bowl.” He would become the Sun Bowl Association’s first president, serving from 1935 to 1945. He died in 1954, and an MVP award was named after him.
The first collegiate Sun Bowl game was played a year after the El Paso-Ranger matchup, and the game featured Hardin-Simmons College and New Mexico State University. It ended in a 14-14 tie.
The fourth Sun Bowl game was moved to the 15,000-seat Kidd Field on the campus of the Texas College of Mines and Metallurgy, now UTEP. In 1950, the Sun Bowl Association added a college basketball tournament.
Television broadcast began in 1964
NBC first broadcast the game in 1964. Then beginning in 1968, football fans welcomed El Paso into their living rooms via CBS, making it the longest continuous broadcast of a college bowl game to date.
Frank Gifford, Don Perkins, Pat Summerall, Tom Brookshier, Burt Reynolds and Dan Fouts have all spent time up in the announcer’s booth.
It’s the nation’s second-oldest bowl game, behind only the Rose Bowl.
Notre Dame
One of Notre Dame’s most famous coaches, Ara Parseghian, came to the Sun Bowl 62 years before the Fighting Irish made its 2010 debut. Parseghian, a running back, was a member of Miami (Ohio), which went on to defeat Texas Tech, 13-12, in 1948.
The 77th edition of the bowl game was played on Dec. 31, 2010 between the Miami Hurricanes from the ACC and the independent Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Freshman Tommy Rees passed for 201 yards and two touchdowns to Michael Floyd as Notre Dame beat Miami 33-17.
Oregon State
This will be Oregon State's third appearance in the Sun Bowl. The Beavers won against Missouri 39-38 in 2006 and Pittsburgh 3-0 in 2008. The Beavers are 2-0 against the Irish all-time, winning the 2001 Fiesta Bowl and 2004 Insight Bowl.
'Fog Bowl'
A rare winter storm the night before the 1974 Sun Bowl left frost on the field. When the sun came on game day the warmth created a steam that rose from the field during the first half. The Mississippi State Bulldogs defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 26-24.
'Snow Bowl'
The 2015 Sun Bowl was dubbed the “Snow Bowl,” as snow came down. It was the second time that Miami played in the snow in the Sun Bowl. The first was in 2010 when snow covered El Paso during a sell-out game against Notre Dame. Washington State beat Miami, 20-14.
The weather hovered around 40 degrees throughout the game, with winds around 14 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The official attendance for the game was announced at 41,180, but by the second half, most fans had left.
Priest Holmes, Tony Dorsett and Barry Sanders
Many have been here, from Jonathan Stewart, Kyle Orton and LaDainian Tomlinson to all-time greats Priest Holmes, Lee Corso, Tony Dorsett, Barry Sanders and Don Maynard, and key coaches such as Barry Switzer and Tom Osborne, Nick Saban and Mack Brown.
Future actor Burt Reynolds was a freshman end on the Florida State team that was defeated 47-20 by Texas Western in the 1955 Sun Bowl. He rushed for 35 yards on 7 carries. He returned to the Sun Bowl in 1977 as part of the broadcasting team.
More: Burt Reynolds reminisces on 1955 Sun Bowl game and trip to Juárez, Mexico
First bowl game with title sponsor
On Aug. 20, 2019 the first-ever bowl with a title sponsor got a new one: the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
In partnering with Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, the Sun Bowl ended it's longest-ever nine-year sponsorship with Hyundai and became the first-ever bowl named after a corporate mascot.
"We were the very first bowl ever to have a title sponsor, back in 1986 when John Hancock saved the Sun Bowl from going extinct," Sun Bowl executive director Bernie Olivas said in 2019. "We have had some great sponsors since then. Our past sponsor, who had been with us nine years, is the longest sponsor we've ever had.
Sun Bowl sponsors through the years
1986 John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance/John Hancock Sun Bowl
1989 John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance/John Hancock Bowl
1996 Norwest Corporation/Norwest Sun Bowl
1998 Norwest and Wells Fargo merge/Wells Fargo Sun Bowl
2003 Helen of Troy/Vitalis Sun Bowl
2006 Helen of Troy/Brut Sun Bowl
2010 Hyundai Motor America/Hyundai Sun Bowl
2019 Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes/ Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl
Trish Long may be reached at tlong@elpasotimes.com or 915-546-6179.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Sun Bowl history lesson: TV celebs, stars players and Tony the Tiger
